PEARL HARBOR (Feb. 18, 2019) F-35B Lightning II aircraft sit on the flight deck while Sailors and Marines prepare to man the rails of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) as it pulls into Pearl Harbor during a deployment of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). The Essex ARG/MEU team is a strong and flexible force equipped and scalable to respond to any crisis ranging from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to contingency operations. The Essex ARG and 13th MEU is the first continental United States Navy/Marine Corps team to deploy with the F-35B. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Matthew Freeman)

PEARL HARBOR (Feb. 18, 2019) Sailors and Marines man the rails of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) as it pulls into Pearl Harbor during a deployment of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). The Essex ARG/MEU team is a strong and flexible force equipped and scalable to respond to any crisis ranging from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to contingency operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Matthew Freeman)

SUEZ CANAL (April 20, 2019) The aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) transits the Suez Canal, April 20, 2019. The John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Grant G. Grady)

RED SEA (April 18, 2019) Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 2nd Class Christopher Settle, from Columbus, Indiana, directs an EA-18G Growler assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 133 toward a steam-powered catapult on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) in the Red Sea, April 18, 2019. The John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Skyler Okerman)